29 January 2007

Mortality Schedules and some thoughts

The 1880 mortality image I found on my hard drive brought several questions to my mind:

  • How often do we include source information on an image we scan?
  • Do we always remember to go to the "original?"
  • Have I looked at all mortality census records that might help me in my research?

That is almost too many questions, but still good food for thought. I know I have document scans on my hard drive, CD files, etc. that might not be titled in ways that help to locate from where the original came. In the case of this scan, the title page was also included, but is not included here.

This of course is not the actual mortality schedule for Pea Ridge Township, Brown County, Illinois. I should look at the microfilm copy to see if I would read the information in the same way.

There are probably other mortality census schedules I have not thought to look for in my research and now might be a good time to go back and consider those records.

And one last thing....have I made a notation somewhere so I remember WHO was on the document that caused me to scan it in the first place? Remembering all those names is not going to happen!

In case anyone wonders, my ancestor is the Henry Miller listed above as an 81 year old tailor.